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An analysis of the clinical, radiographic, histologic and follow-up data on 249 cases of lesions of periodontal membrane origin is presented. Such lesions may be cementoid, osteoid, mixed (cemento-osteoid) or fibrous. These tumors may be single or multiple and usually behave in a benign fashion. Occasionally they may act in an aggressive manner and attain giant size, although none metastasize. The benign fibro-osseous lesions of periodontal membrane origin are more prevalent in the jaws than fibro-osseous lesions of medullary bone origin. The use of polarized light was most helpful in distinguishing mature cementoid lesions from tumors with mature lamellar bone; the former have finer lines of parallel birefringence. Fibrous dysplasia has often been misused as a diagnostic term and was found not to be prevalent as a fibro-osseous jaw lesion. Fibrous dysplasia has its own particular histologic features, and the immature "woven" bone within the lesion polarizes in a random birefringent pattern.